X-Message-Number: 11895
Date: Sat, 05 Jun 1999 17:28:14 +0100
From:  (John de Rivaz)
Subject: Promoting cryonics using books

I wonder if it is a good idea to promote cryonics to someone by giving them 
a series of books, and I put the idea up for discussion. Anyone tried it? 
Has it worked? What books are best? With Amazon.com it is possible to send 
books to other people at the click of a mouse, and they now have branches in 
most countries so postage is less of a problem. 

I would suggest to start with some books that are not directly about 
cryonics, and have added a list at the end of this message.

The main problems seems to be to ensure that they read the books offered. 
"Free is worthless" is a thought that comes to mind. Of course you may end 
up being targeted with books with titles like "I was abducted by an Alien 
Goddess", "You have lived before", "The Bible", "Foretell your future from 
the position of the stars" or some commentary on them. Unfortunately there 
are for more people convinced without guarantee that all of this is true 
than there are people convinced of the good sense of taking the unguaranteed 
cryonics option.

If targeted with a series of alien abduction books, for example, how would 
you get out of reading them? Does this suggest how a recipient of cryonics 
books may react? 

I hope cryonet people find this topic of interest to discuss.


** list**

As starters, books like

The Demon Haunted World by Carl Sagan
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0345409469/longevitybooksA/

If you think that there is any truth in the myriad of unprovable (or 
un-disprovable) beliefs around the world concerning a natural post mortem 
existence, then read this book.

and

The Fabric of Reality by David Deutsch
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0713990619/longevitybooksA/

Another classic, and also highly entertaining and readable. Do you know that 
it is physically impossible simulate certain things in virtual reality? So 
if you think this world is a computer simulation, then read on. This author 
too carefully explains away some widely held beliefs about a natural 
afterlife.

and

The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0192860925/longevitybooksA/

This science fact classic really needs no introduction, except again it 
teaches rational thought as opposed to blind faith. 

This could be interspersed with some works of science fiction, such as 

The First Immortal by James Halperin
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0345420926/longevitybooksA/

This novel is destined to become a classic. After reading it many people may 
be encouraged to make cryopreservation arrangements. 

If your target has really read all of the books you send, only then give 
something like 

The Prospect of Immortality
http://www.cryonics.org/book1.html

or a gift subscription to The Immortalist and/or Cryonics


-- 
Sincerely, John de Rivaz
Homepage:         http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/JohndeR
Longevity Report: http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/Sauna/3748/lr.htm
Fractal Report:   http://www.longevb.demon.co.uk/fr.htm 
PCS - a  Singles listing sheet for people in Cornwall
                  http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/JohndeR/pcs.htm

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